Hibiscus plant named ‘Mocha Moon’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of hardy herbaceous perennial  Hibiscus  hybrid plant named ‘Mocha Moon’ comprising an upright branched stems, numerous, outward-facing, near light pink to white flowers over a prolonged season having a lustrous scarlet-red eye and short radiating veins. The foliage is deep bronze-green, primarily tri-lobed.

Botanical classification: Hibiscus hybrid (L.).

Variety denomination: ‘Mocha Moon’.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct hardy, herbaceous, hibiscus plant, Hibiscus ‘Mocha Moon’ hybridized by the inventor on Jul. 27, 2011 at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant, originally labeled # 11-117-105, is a single seedling selection from a cross between Hibiscus ‘Crown Jewels’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,857 (female pod parent) times Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,079 (male pollen parent). The seed was harvested on Nov. 11, 2011 the specific seedling passed the initial trial in the summer of 2012. Both parents have a complex mixture of species in them, most likely including the species: moscheutos and coccineus. Hibiscus ‘Mocha Moon’ was first asexually propagated in 2013 by both stem tip cuttings and sterile tissue culture at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The resultant asexually propagated plants have been found to be stable and true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Hibiscus ‘Mocha Moon’ differs from its parents as well as all other hardy herbaceous hibiscus known to the applicant in many traits. The foliage color of ‘Mocha Moon’ is greyed-purple with generally tri-lobed foliage. The most similar hibiscus in flower color known to the applicant is ‘Crown Jewels’, the female parent, but the flowers of the new plant are larger and the habit more compact and less spreading. The new plant is similar to ‘Midnight Marvel’, the male parent, in foliage coloration but the flower of ‘Midnight Marvel’ is a scarlet red with no white to light pink and the flower of ‘Mocha Moon’ is also flatter and less cupped. Compared to ‘Starry Starry Night’ (co-pending application having U.S. Plant Ser. No. 14/756,230) the new plant is later flowering and the petals do not have the long scarlet veins and pinwheel color pattern. Compared to ‘Cherry Cheesecake’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,089) the petals of the new plant are flatter and not as folded along the veins, and the petal background is nearer white without the magenta veins that extend to the apex. The foliage of the new plant also differs from ‘Cherry Cheesecake’ in that it is more tri-lobed and deep bronze-green. Other similar hibiscus including: ‘Perfect Storm’ co-pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 14/757,106, ‘Summer Storm’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,443, ‘Tie Dye’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,078. Table 1 below shows further comparisons to similar cultivars.

TABLE 1 Foliage Leaf Size CULTIVAR color shape Flower color Habit (H × W) ‘Cherry dark green ovate to white, magenta upright 145 cm × Cheesecake’ with purple tri-lobed tips, veins, and mound 140 cm overtones eye ‘Crowned medium ovate pink rose pin- upright 120 cm × Jewels’ green wheel, rose eye mound 110 cm ‘Midnight dark palmate scarlet red compact 120 cm × Marvel’ burgundy mound 120 cm ‘Mocha deep bronze- tri-lobed white with broad 120 cm × Moon’ green scarlet eye mound 170 cm ‘Starry dark tri-lobed white and pink mound 120 cm × Starry Night’ purplish pinwheel, 120 cm scarlet eye ‘Summer dark palmate pink, rose vein- upright 160 cm × Storm’ burgundy ing, magenta mound 160 cm eye ‘Tie Dye’ medium tri-lobed White and upright 150 cm × green cherry red mound 150 cm bull's eye pattern

Hibiscus ‘Mocha Moon’ is a unique hardy herbaceous hibiscus with the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Hardy perennial with dense branching producing a low mound.     -   2. Many flowers over a prolonged season having light pink to         near white background and a scarlet-red lustrous eye with short         radiating veins.     -   3. Deep bronze-green, heavily-dissected primarily tri-lobed         foliage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance of the plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a three-year old plant in the landscape.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers with white to light pink petals and scarlet radiating eye.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hibiscus ‘Mocha Moon’, has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are of three year-old plants in the loamy-sand, open-field full- sun trials of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed. The plants are natural habit and were not treated with plant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at any time in the growth year.

-   Parentage: Hibiscus ‘Crown Jewels’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,857     (female seed parent) times Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ U.S. Plant     Pat. No. 24,079 (male pollen parent). -   Propagation:     -   -   Method.—Stem cuttings and sterile plant tissue culture             division.         -   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture.—About two weeks.         -   Rooting habit.—Normal, branching, developing thick to about             2.5 cm diameter, fleshy; root color creamy yellow between             RHS 161D and lighter than RHS 159D depending on soil type.         -   Crop time.—Under normal summer growing conditions 12 to 16             weeks to flower in a four-liter container from cutting.             Plant vigor is very good. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant shape and habit.—Hardy herbaceous perennial with 24 to             33 thick upright and heavily branched main stems producing a             upright spreading mound about 95.0 cm tall and 150.0 cm             wide, widest about 50 cm above soil line; 7 to 14 primary             branches per main stem protruding at about 45° to 30° angle             from horizontal, lateral branches on the middle half of the             primary stems; lateral branch size: between 4.0 cm and 16 cm             long (shorter at the upper nodes) and average 4.0 mm             diameter at the base of branch; flowering on the upper ⅓ of             the plant beginning at axillary nodes while still developing             at the apex;         -   Stem.—Rounded, glabrous, glaucous; average about 90.0 cm             tall and 3.5 cm diameter at base.         -   Stem color.—Between RHS N186B and RHS N187B.         -   Internode.—About 18 nodes per stem below flower and about 32             total, average internode length about 4.5 cm of unpinched             plant, varied between 2.0 to 6.0 cm widest in middle portion             of stem. -   Foliage description: Alternate; dentate; glabrous; mostly deeply     cleft tri-lobed, occasional five- lobed; with side lobes at about 80     degree angle from center lobe; adaxial texture lustrous in young     expanding leaves and matte in proximal leaves; abaxial texture     matte; leaf blade size to about 22.0 cm long and 20.0 cm wide,     average 16.5 cm long and 15.0 cm wide, larger proximally and     becoming smaller in distal portion of stem.     -   -   Foliage color.—Adaxial between RHS N186B and RHS N186C where             exposed to high sunlight and nearest RHS 143B where             protected from strong sunlight; abaxial mostly between RHS             146B and RHS 146C with some tinting of between RHS 187A and             RHS 187B.         -   Veins.—Palmate; adaxial main vein nearest RHS 60A, secondary             veins nearest RHS 187C; primary and secondary abaxial veins             between RHS 184A and RHS 185B.         -   Petioles.—Average size 7.0 cm long and 5.0 mm wide; mostly             cylindrical with slight flattening of adaxial basal 3.0 cm;             glaucous, glabrous.         -   Petiole color.—Adaxial between RHS 184A and RHS 184B;             abaxial blended between RHS 178B and RHS 184B in more light,             where protected from light nearest RHS 146D. -   Flower description:     -   -   Buds.—One day prior to opening about 6.0 cm long and 5.0 cm             in diameter, rounded apex and bluntly rounded base, unopened             petals wrinkled at veins; prior to showing petals buds are             about 3.4 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter, ovoid with acute             apex, carinate at the sepal fusion seams.         -   Bud color.—Exposed petal nearest RHS 11D toward apex with             vein tinting of between RHS 60C and RHS 60B, toward base of             exposed petal lighter than RHS 11D; prior to showing petals             color between RHS 143C and RHS 144B with veining nearest RHS             143C, sepal carina having very light tinting nearest RHS             N186C.         -   Epicalyx.—Entire, smooth, puberulent both surfaces, linear             with sharply acute apex and attenuate base, curved around             sepals; typically 10 to 12 per flower; about 2.5 cm long             tapering to base of about 3.0 mm wide.         -   Epicalyx color.—Adaxial and abaxial between RHS 141C and RHS             143A with slight tinting of nearest RHS 178C in high             sunlight exposure.         -   Sepals.—Five, proximal half connate forming campanulate             star-shaped calyx; acute apex; margin entire, edentate;             puberulent abaxial glabrous adaxial; individually about 4.2             cm long and about 2.5 cm wide at fusion point; together             about 7.0 cm across and about 2.0 cm deep.         -   Sepal color.—Abaxial between RHS 143C and RHS 144B, adaxial             color between RHS 144B and RHS 143B.         -   Flowers.—Solitary, about 40 to 45 per main stem without             pinching; primarily outwardly facing; average 18.5 cm across             and 5.5 cm deep from outside face to center of petals,             larger in early part of flowering season; persist for a one             to two days; effective for at least 9 weeks beginning             mid-August and lasting into October; no detectable             fragrance.         -   Petals.—Five; glabrous, slightly lustrous in center and dull             both front and back toward middle and perimeter, adnate to             the androecium to form a column, imbricate to about 90%             overlapping at widest part (petals about 45% overlapping the             next petal to either side), palmately veined, primary and             secondary veins impressed on front and ribbed on back;             shape: rounded; margins: entire, edentate; apex: rounded;             base: short claw-like; surfaces: adaxial and abaxial             glabrous; size: average about 8.5 cm long and about 11.0 cm             wide at widest portion (largest in earlier part of flowering             season); center dark eye about 5.0 cm diameter; veins             extending from dark eye about 2.3 cm.         -   Petal color.—Adaxial background near white, lighter than RHS             155D, center eye between RHS 60A and RHS 60B with veins and             slight blushing on petal side covered by next petal             counter-clockwise nearest RHS 60C; abaxial color background             whiter than RHS 155D, with blushing lighter than RHS N57D             toward apical one third; abaxial vein color whiter than RHS             155D.         -   Gynoecium.—Style: enclosed in column about 5.5 cm long and             1.5 cm wide at base; column color nearest RHS 11D; style             protruding from column and split in distal 7.0 mm portion             into typically five branches, branch diameter 2.0 mm; branch             color nearest RHS 155D. Stigma: typically five; globose,             puberulose, about 3.0 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS 11D.             Ovary: superior, about 6.5 mm across at base and 6.0 mm             tall; acute apex; color between RHS 145B and RHS 145C.         -   Androecium.—Filaments: numerous, about 140; less than 1.0 mm             in diameter and about 5.0 mm long; attached along nearly the             entire length of column; color nearest RHS 155D. Anthers:             reniform; about 2 mm long and 1 mm wide; nearest RHS 161C.             Pollen: numerous, globose, less than 0.1mm long; color             between RHS 156C and RHS 161C.         -   Pedicel.—Rounded in cross section, finely puberulent; length             from base of sepal to abscission point average 1.5 cm long             and 4.0 mm wide, longer on early flowers decreasing in later             flowers; color between RHS 146C and RHS 146D.         -   Peduncle.—Rounded, puberulent, average about 4.0 cm long             from abscission point to stem and 2.5 mm wide, slightly             longer on earlier flowers.         -   Peduncle color.—Between RHS 61A and RHS 60B.         -   Fruit.—Few, loculicidal capsule; glabrous; globose,             occasionally with abruptly acute apex; color between RHS             N199B and RHS N199C when mature.         -   Seed.—Minutely floccose, typically globose; about 3.0 mm in             diameter; color between RHS 200A and RHS N199B. -   Resistance: The plant grows best with plenty of moisture, but is     able to tolerate some drought once established. Other pest and     disease resistance beyond that of other hardy perennial hibiscus     cultivars has not been observed. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4     through 9. 

I claim:
 1. A new cultivar of hardy herbaceous perennial Hibiscus hybrid plant named ‘Mocha Moon’ as herein illustrated and described, suitable for potted plant culture, landscaping as a specimen or en masse, and especially suited for patios and confined spaces because of the compact habit. 